The Shadow in Harry
by AussieSparkey
Summary: Ron has been looking forward to going to Hogwarts ever since he can remember, especially since the Boy-Who-Lived is going to be in his year. But where he expected a hero he finds a small, scarred boy with secrets beyond Ron's imaginings.
1. The Hogwarts Express

Ron hurried away from his brothers, hauling his trunk behind him. His mum had put a slight weightlessness charm on it to help him drag it, but that would wear off soon and he didn't want to get stuck anywhere near the twins, especially not on his first trip to Hogwarts. The thought filled him with excitement, despite his hurrying; he was finally going to Hogwarts! Although if he couldn't find a compartment that wasn't full of older students he'd be spending it with Fred and George and probably Lee, and Lee seemed to have brought a _tarantula_.

Eventually, Ron found the dark-haired boy who had approached them in the muggle train station reading a book in his own compartment. With a sigh, Ron slid open the door to the compartment and stepped inside. It wasn't ideal, really. The boy, though he looked to about Ron's age and was certainly considerably shorter than Ron, had an air about him of trouble… though how much of this was a result of his appearance Ron wasn't sure. He had four thin, jagged, parallel lines running diagonally across his face like he had been slashed by a large animal, and he favoured his left leg when he walked. But he'd been polite enough when he approached them and had a sort of strength about him that both scared and intrigued Ron; on the whole, he was like no one he had ever met. More importantly, he wasn't an older student. As far as Ron was concerned, that meant he was safer than his brothers, so he'd have to do.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, gesturing loosely to the seat opposite the boy and trying, for some reason, to avoid making any sudden movements, "It's just, everywhere else is full."

The boy lowered the book and fixed piercing green eyes upon Ron, making him take an involuntary half-step back. "No," he said shortly, and then returned to reading his book.

If Ron hadn't known better, he would have said the boy looked uncomfortable, like he wasn't quite sure what to do with company. Hesitant, Ron sat.

"Hey. Umm… I'm Ron."

"I know, your Mum said," he replied, and then hesitantly lowered the book. "I'm Harry."

"Hey," said Ron again, because he wasn't sure what else to say.

The following moment of uncomfortable silence was thankfully broken by the twins, who slid open the compartment door and told Ron that Lee Jordan was just down the train with a tarantula, so they were going to hang out with him. They were about to leave when they noticed Harry, who had returned to hiding behind a book.

"Ooh look, Ronniekins made a friend!"

"The same kid from-"

"-King's Cross."

"Hi Ron's friend-"

"-what's your name?"

"I'm Gred Weasley by the way, and this is Forge."

Harry blinked, confused. "Harry. I'm Harry. Nice to meet you… Fred and George?"

He was met with two identical grins from the twins. Ron was about to but in and tell the twins to bugger off when Fred (probably. Might have been George) asked "What, no last name?".

There was a pause as Harry studied them, considering. _What was so important about a last name?_ Ron wondered; Harry looked like he almost didn't want to tell them at all.

Eventually, he hid himself behind his book, honestly looking afraid for their reaction, and whispered the two words that would change Ron's life.

"Harry Potter."


	2. The Sorting

Though Harry hardly spoke during the journey to Hogwarts, Ron made sure to speak enough for the both of them, especially after the small boy bought a considerable amount of sweets off the trolley to share. Consequently, the two stuck closely together as they made their way off the train and began following a giant of a man ('Hagrid', if Ron remembered his brothers' tales right) down to the lake.

Ron didn't fail to notice that when they came into full sight of Hogwarts, Harry's only reaction was to look increasingly nervous.

Harry was rigid and silent across the lake, careful not to make any unnecessary movements and wincing imperceptibly whenever Ron or the two in the back of the boat - Neville and Hermione - shifted in their seat. They had had very brief interactions with the other two during the trip on the train, but not enough so that Ron was willing to break the silence and talk to them. At least they weren't in the same boat as Malfoy, who had somehow felt the need to enter their compartment and ogle at Harry for just long enough to express disgust on his pointed face before he'd marched off again. Noticing Harry's discomfort as they sailed silently across the water, Ron did feel the need to reach out to the boy he was beginning to consider a friend.

"Isn't it awesome?" he whispered quietly, leaning towards Harry.

"What?"

"Isn't Hogwarts awesome?"

"Oh. Yeah. I don't like water much."

And Harry returned to his position, looking for all the world like a statue.

Harry barely flinched when the ghosts made their appearance, though Ron had to pretend that he _hadn't_ nearly jumped on top of Harry in fright. His brothers had told him about the ghosts, of course, but they were considerably more scary when they were in close proximity. Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, was exactly what he had been expecting from what he'd heard, so he focussed on forcing down his nausea instead of listening to her spiel about the houses.

And then suddenly they were standing at the front of the Great Hall and the magnificence of the ceiling paled in comparison to the small, dirty hat on the stool that, for whatever reason, appeared to be singing a song. When the applause died down, McGonagall pulled out a scroll and, despite his relief that all they had to do was wear a hat because "Merlin, Harry, Fred had been saying we'd have to fight a _troll_ ," he felt his nerves begin to mount again as he realised that _this was it_. The next seven years of his life, to be determined right here.

"Abbot, Hannah."

McGonagall's voice was crisp, and Hannah stumbled up to the stool and pulled the hat down over her eyes. Ron more or less tuned out the rest, allowing himself the leave to scowl when that annoying know-it-all, Granger, was sorted into Gryffindor. And then Harry was called up, and the hall fell completely silent. In Ron's eyes, Harry looked tiny, but Harry's eyes blazed with a fierceness that surprised Ron. He realised with a start that he had no idea where his new friend was going to be sorted.

Gryffindor, maybe, but he didn't have the brashness of Ron's brothers even though he _was_ the saviour of the wizarding world, which must count for something. If the book Harry had been engrossed in was anything to go by, then he might be in Ravenclaw. That or Hufflepuff would be alright, Ron decided. Hufflepuff was certainly better than-

"Slytherin!"

 _Slytherin_.

The Boy-Who-Lived (and, more importantly as far as Ron was concerned, his friend) was in _Slytherin_.

 **AN:**

 **Thanks for the positive response to the first chapter guys. This story is really a bit of experiment at the moment and while I have an idea where I want to take it I am always welcome to input, so please review! Any ideas, thoughts,** **criticisms** **\- let me know.**


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